Moving Forward, Looking Back
by That Dastard Cerberus
Summary: Ishizu invites Yugi over to take the next step in their relationship, but for both the Tombkeeper and the King of Games, things are never that simple. Foreshipping threeshot. Shameless lemon. HIATUS


**So admittedly this was supposed to be a oneshot. Just one chapter, and bam it's complete. Buuuuuuut, at the snail's pace I'm going at and how impatient I normally am, I decided to split this particular piece into three. A beginning, middle, and end. This should allow me to be more detailed too!**

* * *

It wasn't often that Ishizu found an opportunity like this. With Marik and Odion gone for the weekend, that meant the house was completely hers. Well, hers… and Yugi's.

Of course, Ishizu didn't mention that detail to her brothers as she saw them off. Ignorance was bliss, and they didn't need to know that she was inviting the man she had been privately dating. It was completely in an Ishtar's nature to keep secrets (after all, they were tomb keepers; they safeguarded secrets with their very lives), and Ishizu didn't see any harm in failing to mention her relationship status to Marik or Odion.

She had selfish reasons for doing this, sure, but she was also doing this for everyone's sakes. She knew Marik and Odion wouldn't necessarily approve of the relationship, for various reasons. She saw how both reacted to any man who made an advance towards her (not that she was ever interested in those advances, mind you), and she had a gut feeling that their reactions would be very similar if she ever revealed Yugi and her were dating. It was better for everyone's sake that she not mention Yugi being her lover to either of her brothers; that was a fact.

Sadly, with this fact came the unfortunate circumstance of finding those moments of being truly alone with each other. The courtship took its time (not that either minded; both preferred taking their time), and before long, the two had become… far more intimate than just holding hands and chaste kisses on the lips.

Kisses lasted longer and became more passionate, hands found new places to rest on, and soon the two had taken an interest in exploring unseen parts of their partner. But this wasn't an easy task, not due to shyness or lack of bravado. Just… a secure place to safely explore each other without being interrupted. The idea of Yugi's house was brought up once, before being promptly dismissed.

Ishizu didn't like the idea of simply renting a room in a hotel for just one night over the possibility of intercourse. It wasn't that it seemed scandalous or anything like that; it was just that Ishizu preferred a location she was familiar with, a place she knew well enough and felt secure enough in. A hotel room simply seemed too foreign and unknown to her.

So her house was brought up as the third option. She knew there was no way they could do something so intimate while her brothers were home, but she knew for a fact that both had planned a weekend long trip, and she would be left home alone. A perfect place, a place she felt familiar and secure in.

The two lovers quickly crafted a plan for their own weekend, involving Yugi arriving the night under the pretense that he was merely here to do his own personal studies. And it wasn't necessarily false either; the two poured over various books in Ishizu's personal library, discussing topics such as ancient rituals and games. Once again, Ishizu merely omitted the additional reason why Yugi would be at the Ishtars' residence over the weekend. It wasn't his first time, either. Odion and Marik were comfortable enough with Yugi being with Ishizu alone; they didn't even consider that a romance had blossomed between the two right behind the brothers' backs.

Ishizu remembered the first time Yugi had asked her out on a date. It wasn't an official date, by any means. Just an invitation to a café and then a stroll through a park. They talked, laughing and chattering away easily. There was really nothing there… yet.

She was amazed how quickly her feelings towards Yugi evolved from one of kindred spirits to something far more. She had never considered romance a factor in her future, and yet she fell hard for the King of Games. Eyes lingered on each other for too long, the desire to touch him grew, before she was hit the desire to be with him. She couldn't word it any other way. By the time of their fifth unofficial date, they had kissed under a sky full of stars in Cairo, and that was the moment she realized what she had gotten herself into.

But that moment felt so right. She couldn't put it into words, but Yugi… completed her somehow. He made her laugh, made her experience childlike joy she didn't think she was capable of experiencing again. He made her life fun, full of life and joy and, most importantly, love. She couldn't even comprehend the glimmer in his eyes with he spoke to her, like she was the center of his world, or how his smile was so infectious that she subconsciously mirrored his own expression. She didn't understand how easily his joy spread to her, how she got excited over silly little things now because of him, how every joke he made, no matter how terrible, was the funniest thing she ever heard. But she didn't need to, really.

Love was something that didn't need to be understood; it didn't need to studied or analyzed through a logical perspective. Admittedly, it took her awhile to get used to that, but it was liberating to just let it go and just experience.

That's why this next step in their relationship felt so important to her, and why she needed the place to her home. This was new territory, territory she didn't understand and was admittedly… somewhat frightened by. She didn't know what would come once they took this step, and she needed the security to know everything would be alright.

However, all forms of doubts escaped her mind when she greeted Yugi at the door, and he greeted her in turn with a tender kiss on the lips. She eagerly returned the favor before ushering him inside. She internally admitted that she was feeling almost giddy as she watched Yugi place his bag by the stairs. It would be just the two of them, alone, to do whatever they so desired without prying eyes to be worried about. Just the thought of that made her heart race a little.

* * *

Admittedly, Yugi was a little nervous about spending the weekend alone with Ishizu. Not necessarily a bad kind of nervous, however. It was more like excited-kind-of-nervous or maybe the kind of nervous where he feared anything could go wrong to ruin this perfect moment. He didn't know; he just knew there were butterflies in his stomach and couldn't stop his heart from pounding against his chest. This wasn't a foreign feeling, however. He should honestly be used to it, what with his teenage years and all.

Slipping his backpack off his shoulders, his mind drifted briefly to his friends' reactions when he explained his trip to them. Of course, Joey was the first to read between the lines, grinning ear-to-ear and telling Yugi to "take her to the bone zone" on the first night. Of course, the others gave him less explicit words of encouragement, such as Bakura's simple, "Go enjoy yourselves," and Tristan's more comical, "Try not to break the bed," and finally Tea's statement, "Don't overdue yourself, okay?"

Despite how silly the exchanges were, Yugi also appreciated how encouraging they all were for his relationship with Ishizu. He had been worried when he first told them, especially Tea. But she, along with the others, took it in stride, even if they all were a bit surprised.

He couldn't blame them all either, for that initial first reaction. After all, to the best of any of their collective knowledge, Yugi merely visited to better understand the world Atem lived in, something that helped him get through the process of grieving over the loss of a dear friend.

What they hadn't seen was the subtle progression, from a mentor teaching an eager student, to two friends sharing a passion, to shy lovers just beginning to explore their relationship in a deep intimate way. They didn't see, or rather, they didn't feel the first ping of affection Yugi had developed towards Ishizu. Nor did they see her the way he had begun to see her, as someone more than just a mysterious woman, wise beyond her years.

They didn't see her own humanity, didn't her vulnerabilities or the one time he accidentally found her crying. They didn't feel the warmth that radiated whenever she smiled, or saw how her eyes were as blue as a cloudless sky. And since they hadn't, he didn't expect them to understand necessarily. At the end of the day, he just prayed they accepted it.

After the initial shock, they didn't just accept his feelings for Ishizu. They encouraged him to pursue it, teased him about it whenever any of them got a chance to, and over all were just very supportive. Needless to say, when he told them the two were officially dating, there was a barrage of congratulations and pats on the back all around. They were proud and happy for him.

And because of their support, he was here.

Literally here.

In a house.

Alone with her.

The butterflies in his stomach fluttered even more, and Yugi found himself fidgeting with his choker collar a bit. Now if only he could get a handle on his nerves, he'd be golden.


End file.
